Click here for Newswire, the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else – spiced with a dash of irreverence – from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
GOP touts school choice to woo minority vote
Politico, January 22, 2014
Republicans eager to attract black and Latino voters believe they have hit on an ideal magnet: school choice.
Why school choice opens a door to the American Dream
FoxNews, January 22, 2013
In America, a good education is the great equalizer, something that gives our children the chance to fulfill their potential no matter how they fared in the lottery of life. That’s why the more we can do to empower parents to pick and choose the schools that best meet their kids’ needs, the better. It’s one way for us to live up to our billing as the “Land of Opportunity.”
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
Charters vs District schools: From the teachers’ view
Prescott Daily Courier, AZ
January 21, 2014
There is a constant when it comes to teaching in charter and district schools and that’s a desire to enrich the lives of students and leave them a little better off than they were when class began.
CALIFORNIA
Proposed changes at Salinas charter school has parents riled
Monterey County Herald, CA, January 21, 2014
Middle school age students have different developmental needs, says Principal Juanita Perea. It’s one of the reasons she’s proposing to eliminate seventh and eighth grades from Oasis starting next school year.
Morgan Hill School children Lose in Battle against Charter Schools
Opinion, San Jose Inside, CA, January 21, 2014
The creation of a Navigator charter school in Morgan Hill met serious opposition, but test scores show that the achievement gap is getting worse.
The Charter School Tipping Point
Opinion, San Diego Voice, CA, January 21, 2014
The San Diego Unified School board recently shot down a proposed charter school, opening the door to questions about how many charter schools are too many, and whether the district is on the road to creating a parallel school system.
COLORADO
Douglas schools seek to opt out of federal, state standardized testing
The Denver Post, CO, January 22, 2014
The Douglas County School Board, the teachers union and school administrators don’t usually agree. But they do agree on one thing — there is too much U.S.- and state-mandated standardize testing, and it is adversely affecting students.
DELAWARE
Common Core may delay evaluation tie-in with teacher evaluations
News Journal, DE, January 21, 2014
With the state set to move to a new statewide test, teachers could see that test temporarily removed from their evaluations next year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. teachers union files grievance with school system over erroneous evaluations
Washington Post, DC, January 21, 2014
The Washington Teachers’ Union has filed a class-action grievance with D.C. Public Schools in the wake of the recent disclosure that 44 teachers received erroneous performance ratings last year, including one who was wrongly fired as a result.
FLORIDA
School grades to stay, Florida education chief says
Miami Herald, FL, January 21, 2014
Public school superintendents hoping for a reprieve from the state’s polarizing school grading system won’t get any support from Florida’s education commissioner.
GEORGIA
Governor Deal: A better school shouldn’t be a privilege
Opinion, Savannah Morning News, GA, January 22, 2014
This is the time of year when parents of some students await midterm progress reports. Others await news whether their sons or daughters will earn admission to college. Underlying both of these common scenes is the desire of parents to ensure their child is getting an excellent education to compete in today’s world.
ILLINOIS
Bring on more charter schools
Commentary, Chicago Tribune, IL, January 22, 2014
Public education is at a crossroads in Chicago. The Chicago Board of Education will vote Wednesday on proposals to establish as many as 17 new charter school campuses.
Protesters sleep outside CPS HQ to oppose charter school expansion
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, January 21, 2014
Near subzero temperatures were sure to test the mettle of about 25 protesters who planned to sleep on the sidewalk Tuesday night in the Loop before attending a school board meeting in the morning to oppose the expansion of charter schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
In embracing charter schools, let’s get away from ‘us vs. them’ mentality
Letter, Boston Globe, MA, January 22, 2014
Kevin Andrews writes: Mayor Walsh is a conciliator who sees value in diverse views. By including both district and charter school children in his inauguration ceremonies, he is saying that all ideas on how to improve public education for all Boston children are welcome.
MICHIGAN
Teachers get help to boost kids’ reading
Detroit News, MI, January 22, 2014
Markita Gaines showed up for first grade unable to read or write. She didn’t know certain letters of the alphabet and she didn’t recognize her written name.
MISSOURI
Nixon wants more money for schools, spurns GOP tax cut
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 22, 2014
With state revenue growing at a healthy clip, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon implored legislators Tuesday to make a massive investment in public education rather than parcel out surplus money as a tax cut.
Under a cloud of possible state takeover, nine file for KC school board seats
Kansas City Star, MO, January 21, 2014
The Kansas City school board as we know it may not survive the year, but it won’t go down without a fight. Or at least a good election race.
NEW JERSEY
Assemblyman unveils much-anticipated final draft of charter legislation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 22, 2014
A new bill will soon be added to the debate over how – and how much – to revise the state’s nearly 20-year-old charter school law.
NEW YORK
Cuomo 1, de Blasio 0
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 22, 2014
In another pointed slap at de Blasio, Cuomo took the advice of his education commission to declare that “charter schools will be eligible for pre-K funding.” Right now, charters are forbidden by law from providing pre-K, and de Blasio is threatening to make it more difficult for these public schools by charging them rent.
NORTH CAROLINA
A troubling charter school approved for Harnett County
Editorial, News & Observer, NC, January 21, 2014
Golf, swimming, walking trails, security and, yes, for your educational pleasure and convenience, a charter school! That’s pretty close to the description that a Harnett County developer can offer for the Anderson Creek Club, 45 miles south of Raleigh.
OHIO
No more snow days for private school; administrator flexibly restructures learning
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, January 21, 2014
When public schools closed for winter weather this month, the bus services they provided to private schools were also canceled.
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa school board OKs new compact with charter schools
Tulsa World, OK, January 21, 2014
The Tulsa school board scrapped its old agreement with the three charter schools it sponsors and adopted a new one Tuesday.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bill Green is a difficult man for a difficult job
Column, Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 22, 2014
Bill Green is a smart but difficult man. He does not play well with others, and the difficulty often arises when he shows them how smart he is.
Is Nutter changing his tune on charters?
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 22, 2014
IS MAYOR NUTTER changing his tune on charter schools? In June, as the School District of Philadelphia was readying to close 24 traditional schools while students fled to charters, Mayor Nutter went on national TV to defend the decision.
TENNESSEE
Common Core delay bid comes just too late
Opinion, Daily News Journal, TN, January 22, 2014
Tennessee adopted Common Core standards four years ago, but as the 2014-15 start date approaches, some legislators are having second thoughts.
TN education official’s remarks on charter school diversity draw criticism
The Tennessean, TN, January 22, 2014
Comments a top state education official made about charter school diversity drew a sharp rebuke from a Metro school board member Tuesday and prompted House Democrats to ask Gov. Bill Haslam to “disavow” the remarks.
VIRGINIA
100 Va. school boards oppose state takeover board
Washington Post, DC, January 21, 2014
One hundred school boards across Virginia — more than 75 percent of the total — have passed resolutions in support of a lawsuit challenging a state board approved by the General Assembly last year to take over the most chronically struggling schools in the state.
WASHINGTON
Proposed Spokane charter schools raise red flags
The Spokesman-Review, WA, January 22, 2014
A national organization is recommending Spokane Public Schools’ board reject two of the three charter school applicants up for approval tonight.
WISCONSIN
Lawmakers introduce new proposal to extend vouchers to special-needs students
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, January 21, 2014
Republican lawmakers released their latest proposal Tuesday to extend taxpayer subsidies to help students with special needs attend private schools.
Molly Carey: Law pushing more charter schools a bad idea
Letter, Capital Times, WI, January 21, 2014
Wisconsin Assembly Bill 549 is a poor idea. AB 549 is modeled after ALEC’s Next Generation Charter Schools Act, which seeks to claim charter schools are public schools. It allows multiple agencies to authorize charter schools, increases the pace of privatization and undermines local control of schools. The backers of charter schools are right-wing organizations, wealthy individuals and Wall Street.
ONLINE LEARNING
Hallsville ISD adds virtual high school
Longview News-Journal, TX, January 22, 2014
Starting in the fall, any high school student in Texas will be able to graduate from Hallsville ISD through a new, tuition-free, virtual academy that the district plans to launch online in time for the 2014-15 academic year.
Virtual-charter kids in sports clears panel
Journal Gazette, IN, January 22, 2014
The House Education Committee on Tuesday cleared the way for Hoosier students attending virtual charter schools to play sports at public high schools.
Wauwatosa Virtual Academy attracts nearly 100 students
Wauwatosa Now, WI, January 21, 2014
The Wauwatosa Virtual Academy is about halfway through its first year, and learning as it goes. It has attracted almost 100 students of various kinds; provided a powerful option for kids under court jurisdiction in the district; and finds itself dealing with a relatively fluid student body as Open Enrollment students from around the state seek it out.